Bobby Gilliam, Bobby Gilliam, Ashley Nicholas, Debbie Sapp
Negative group processes can foster and reinforce aggressive values and behavior. The standard punishments used with aggressive youth have failed to negate the power of their group subcultures. This article describes a unique consequence given to a group of youth in a residential setting who were involved in failing to report a hidden firearm: They were assigned a "challenge response" of developing violence prevention programs to present to younger peers on the campus. After initial resistance, group members-with adult guidance formed a cohesive prosocial bond under their created name S WACADAS and subsequently won awards for violence prevention activities.
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